Tag: DC Comics

REVIEW: Bruce Wayne Not Super by Stuart Gibbs

REVIEW: Bruce Wayne Not Super by Stuart Gibbs

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Bruce is the only non-powered kid at his middle school which makes him feel like a nobody. His driving desire is to clean up his city and protect others. But between school administration and Alfred, his dream of being a vigilante is getting a lot of push back.

Review

This was a fun story! I enjoyed the characters in a middle school context, and Bruce’s quest to find a way to make his mark at the school and in Gotham. The illustrations here are excellent. I loved pouring over the pictures to find all the familiar DC characters.

My only complaint here is about the portrayal of some of those characters. The portrayal of Clark Kent, for example, did not fit the historic Clark Kent at all. I don’t know if the thinking there was “these are kids who will grow into their better selves,” but it was distracting. (I have seen other reviews bring up these same issues.)

I would definitely read a sequel to see how they continue to build this new take on the characters.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Raven and Gar have broken free from HIVE and are on the run with Max and Damien. They meet up with Max’s mom to regroup – and train for whatever comes next.

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is tracking Damien. They got off on the wrong foot when Bruce introduced them. Dick is determined to find his brother and help him.

While Damien would love to send Dick packing, the group knows they have a lot to overcome if they want to be ready for HIVE’s next move. And Dick could be an asset.

Review

I love this series more and more with each book. I really enjoyed watching the growth of the two couples. But the relationship between Dick and Damien was my favorite part of this one. I wanted to read this again as soon as I finished. I also loved the cover tease for book five, which is a must-read for me.

DC fans, Teen Titan fans, and graphic novel fans should not miss this series. There are some dark and occultish elements in Raven’s story (her demon father, astral projection, talking to and raising the dead) that might not work for sensitive readers. But there’s nothing else in this series that has raised any red flags for me. I re-read the whole series before letting myself dive into this one, and it was so satisfying. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: House of El: The Enemy Delusion by Claudia Gray

REVIEW: House of El: The Enemy Delusion by Claudia Gray

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher, DC Entertainment, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sera and Zahn have stolen a data device from Jor-El and Lara, looking for answers about the experiments done to Sera. But there’s far more on the data solid than they can imagine.

Meanwhile, both are struggling to fit in with their old friends. They are distracted, not only by the mysteries they are trying to solve but also by the feelings growing between them. While Sera and Zahn were born into vastly different worlds, they are finding in each other someone who truly understands them.

As Sera and Zahn look for answers and explore the romantic side of their relationship, the “terrorists” known as Midnight are getting more bold about their plans to bring change to Krypton. And no one will believe who is truly in charge of that rebel group.

Review

Another fantastic Superman-adjacent graphic novel! I really enjoyed book one, The Shadow Threat, and this second chapter of the story is just as strong.

I love that Sera and Zahn are the focus of this story rather than Jor-El or Lara or Zod. They bring a fresh perspective to the Krypton story. I can’t wait for the third book in this series. Even though I know where things are headed, I can’t wait to see how all of the mythology we know weaves around these original characters to create a new, fresh story. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Batman and Robin and Howard by Jeffrey Brown

REVIEW: Batman and Robin and Howard by Jeffrey Brown

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

You’d think it would be awesome to be Robin! Helping Batman fight crime with cool gadgets? How amazing! But being the son of millionaire Bruce Wayne can be a drag. Like when your dad makes you go to a new school.

Damian Wayne is NOT excited about being the new kid. Howard figures Damian could use a friend. But they quickly become rivals – both in the classroom and on the soccer pitch.

But when Batman goes missing while investigating a case, Damian needs a friend more than he needs a rival.

 

Review

This was fun! It’s a meaty story – lots of new school/friendship angst for the boys along with a crime for Batman to investigate. The friendship story was stronger for me than the investigation. I did get a kick out of Batman trying to figure out which villain was responsible, though.

I first encountered the author’s work at an American Library Association conference when he was signing his first Jedi Academy novel. My son devoured it in line while waiting to have it signed. I think the kids who have enjoyed Jeffrey Brown’s Jedi Academy books (the series was later continued by Jarrett Krosoczka) as well as his other series will enjoy this new book. DC fans will also get a kick out of this. Classroom teachers and librarians will want to add this to their graphic novel collections.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Raven has trapped her demon father and is desperate to keep him out of her life. Desperate enough to hop a train to Nashville to meet up with a guy who says he can help.

Raven’s foster sister, Max, is following her in secret to protect Raven from whatever trouble she might run into.

Garth is still adjusting to his recently un-suppressed powers. He’s on a bus to Nashville to meet a guy who says he has the answers Garth is looking for.

And there’s someone else who is supposed to be meeting up with Slade Wilson. He’s the smart one – observing, wary. And as he watches, he sees what happens next.

Review

EEEEEK! I love these books! This was fantastic! I loved Gar and Raven together. It was great to see them connect. I also loved Max’s presence – as well as the other person who is watching. The only complaint I have about this series is that the books are TOO SHORT. I finish each one begging for more. (There’s a cover reveal for the next book at the back, and I am HERE FOR IT.)

I enjoyed the balance here between the character development and the budding romance along with the next bits in the Slade story. Is it enough? No, not for me. But I was satisfied with the balance between the two aspects.

I don’t know that readers have to go back to read Raven and Beast Boy first, but it will certainly help fill out the backstories for Raven, Max, and Gar. And now that readers can slam all three books in one go, it might feel more satisfying than when I read each one and then had to wait a year for the next installment.

I highly recommend these – for graphic novel fans, and for DC fans. (Demons/ghosts)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki

REVIEW: I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mandy marches to the beat of her own drum – something that can be hard to do in high school. It’s even harder to do when you live in a spotlight like she does. Mandy’s mother is Starfire, one of the Titans. A superhero. Mandy wants to get through school, maybe go out with a girl like her current crush, and get far away from her mother’s shadow. But Mandy’s peers, the press, and Starfire’s family won’t let her fade into the background.

Review

There are elements of this graphic novel that reflect typical superhero stories – secrets, powers, and battles with evil-doers.

There are also elements that are typical of a coming-of-age story. Mandy feels like the opposite of her mother – and often misunderstood. She wants to be indifferent to it – to the ways people use her for her famous connections – but she’s not. She still feels hurt.

I enjoyed the story. It wasn’t all I was hoping for, though. There were no real surprises. I thought Mandy’s angst was well-conveyed. The budding romance feels more like another arena for conflict rather than a substantial plot thread on its own.

DC fans and Titans fans might enjoy this take on the Titans and the daughter of Starfire. YA fans may enjoy this for the identity and coming-of-age pieces and the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship. I’m not convinced the story does any of those things especially well, and maybe that’s the issue. Maybe it was trying to be too many things, and they all were too shallow for a truly great story. (Language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/Solid/Fine

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a print copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The heroes of Gotham’s past are dead and buried. The Court of Owls reigns with ruthless oppression, especially over women and girls. They are forced to follow a strict public dress code, and they are barred from college and from various occupations. They aren’t even allowed to sing or play sports.

But Dinah Lane once heard a girl sing, and she’s never gotten it out of her mind. No one else believes her, but she knows what she heard. It’s what drove her into the overgrown park to find the old opera house. Rumors say there’s a hidden vault there of recorded voices. Dinah wants it. The Owls want to destroy it.

The Owls are watching Dinah since that night in the park. They find her secret stash of contraband, and she’s routinely searched. But if they discover what else she’s capable of, they will do everything in their power to destroy her.

Review

This was a fun version of the Black Canary/Green Arrow origin story. I was fascinated by the oppressive system that has taken over Gotham. I would have liked a stronger explanation of how the Silencing worked – why only singing and not also speaking voices, why was the loss of singing/music such a big deal? It sounds cheesy when you try to explain it to someone who hasn’t read the book, but the metaphor is clear and it works in the story.

There’s not a ton of character development. But I enjoyed the main characters. The villains – and their mouth pieces and minions – were as awful as you’d expect. There’s a bit more blood and violence than I was expecting, but it fit with the darkness of the Owls.

Fans of the DC Icons series – Wonder Woman: Warbringer (prose – ♥♥♥♥ and graphic novel), Batman: Nightwalker (prose and graphic novel), Catwoman: Soul Stealer (prose; GN releasing soon), Superman: Dawnbreaker (prose only – ♥♥♥) – should definitely pick this up to continue the line. All of the books stand alone, so new readers can start here and go back and pick up the rest of the series. I have thoroughly enjoyed these stories (well, the Superman book was a disappointment) and characters, and I’d love to see more in the future. (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Nubia: Real One by L. L McKinney

REVIEW: Nubia: Real One by L. L McKinney

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

You might think a second person with the powers of Wonder Woman would be welcome. But when she has brown skin like Nubia, it’s… complicated. For example, Nubia stops an armed robbery, but the victim assumes she is one of the culprits. She’s even cuffed and questioned by the police.

Nubia’s moms want her to lay low and stay out of the limelight. When her powers were discovered before, they always had to move to a new community. Nubia doesn’t want to leave her friends and a place where she is starting to feel she belongs. So she promises to keep her head down and stay out of things. But when trouble comes close to the people Nubia loves, she’ll have to decide what she is willing to risk to keep them safe.

Review

I was unfamiliar with the story of Nubia from DC comics history. This story is an amended take on the version where Nubia is Wonder Woman’s twin sister. (Yes, there’s an explanation here for the age difference.)

The Wonder Woman pieces of this are small. The larger focus is on Nubia and her peer group (friends, potential love interest), which I liked. Nubia’s friends are her world (in a good way), and they are the ones she wants to defend using her powers.

The conflict with Nubia’s moms is to be expected. They are torn between protecting her and giving her space to become the adult she is going to be. And there are also more stereotypical parent/teen conflicts they are working through as well.

My favorite parts were the places where Nubia’s journey intersects with contemporary issues – racism, sexism, sexual assault, police brutality, gun violence, etc. These very present, very real issues are placed up against Nubia’s supernatural gifts in a way I really enjoyed. (The publisher has included a content warning on the copyright page as well as reader resources in the back matter.)

Superhero fans, especially those looking for racially diverse and relevant characters and stories, should not miss this one! (Language, LGBTQ+, TW: racism, sexism, sexual assault, gun violence, school shooter)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Flash Facts edited by Mayim Bialik

REVIEW: Flash Facts edited by Mayim Bialik

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of three chapters from this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

This title includes ten “tales of science and technology,” illustrated with DC characters like The Flash. My review copy included three stories:

  • “Fast Tracks” – The Flash explains the science of crime scene investigation.
  • “More Than Meets the Eye” – Cyborg and Beast Boy (Teen Titans Go) explore the world of virtual reality.
  • “Human Extremes” – Swamp Kid learns about three examples of ways humans adapt to extreme conditions.

The facts are predominant with only the loosest example of a “story” to fit around them. I found “Fast Tracks” the most engaging of the three. After Flash/Barry explains concepts like DNA and blood and hair evidence, readers are invited to test their skills on a simple crime. While the content was dense and detailed, the art work was complementary. And the facts were a perfect fit for who Barry is in his every day life. The “skills test,” while brief, made me feel like I was part of the conversation with the character. Alone I would have given this story 3 or 3.5 stars. The material might be too dense, or not a good fit, for kids who come to the book for the DC characters and for comic-like stories. But this one piece of the three I got to read would have the best chance of keeping even those kids who were expecting something else engaged with this.

The other two stories were not great. Reading them felt like I was being force-fed information I didn’t ask for. I identified with Beast Boy in the second story who only wanted to be left alone to play his VR game. He never asked to understand the technology behind virtual reality. If Robin had been the one droning on and on, I would have thought it was an attempt at humor. Anyone who has watched a few episodes of Teen Titans Go knows how he can be. But this was Cyborg, so it didn’t click for me. Readers who do want to know how VR works will find plenty to enjoy here, but kids who come for a fun Cyborg and Beast Boy story may be disappointed.

The third story included three facts that were barely connected by the theme and the fact that one character was present for all three parts. There was an attempt to put a story in where Swamp Kid and Swamp Thing team up to fight a wrong, but it was thin and unsatisfying.

While the Flash story felt information-heavy, I was on board for a whole book like that. There are other non-fiction graphic novel series like Science Comics and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales that do a fantastic job melding the graphic novel format with the fact-based content in a way that grabs kids and draws them in. The format can work. And fun DC characters would have been a bonus if this had come together in a different way.

But the other two sample chapters turned me off from this. While it is quite possible that the other 7 stories are excellent, I am troubled that these three were chosen to publicize the book if there were other, better examples in the collection. I wish there had been a better integration of DC characters and engaging stories to go along with the science and technology content. As I said, the Flash story is an example of how that can be done in a way that makes sense.

I think kids who pick this up for the science and technology pieces will have the best chance of being satisfied. Those who see DC characters and a graphic novel format who pick this up expecting adventures for their favorite characters might be disappointed.

Rating: ♥♥*

*♥♥ = Finished but didn’t enjoy; issues

REVIEW: House of El: The Shadow Threat by Claudia Gray

REVIEW: House of El: The Shadow Threat by Claudia Gray

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Krypton might be a technological marvel, but it has problems the same as any other planet. Their leaders are arrogant and prideful about their advancements. They refuse to acknowledge anything could possibly go wrong with their plans. The lower castes are cannon fodder, like the soldiers who routinely put themselves in harm’s way, expecting not to survive. Then the elite citizens can maintain their delusions of superiority and their sense of security. Their hubris will be their undoing.

Zahn of the elite House of Re and a soldier named Sera-Ur are at the center of this story. They see the truths their leaders deny and the general populace ignores. Krypton’s terraforming efforts are failing. The home world is in serious trouble. Working together, Zahn and Sera may be able to put the pieces together and figure out what is truly happening and what can be done to save Krypton.

Review

This is very clever! I’m not a Superman super fan, so I don’t know how much of this is canon and what is created for this particular story. My impression has been that Krypton was some sort of utopia. But this paints a different picture. And I was captivated by the idea of a flawed Krypton – genetic engineering, a caste system, arrogant and ineffectual leaders, rebellion. This was NOT the Krypton I was expecting. It was far more interesting.

I enjoyed references to Jor-El, General Zod, and the Phantom Zone, but this is really Zahn and Sera’s story. And I liked that. They are a function of their place in the caste system and upbringing. But the story reveals there are other factors in play which I really liked. There are some philosophical issues introduced here that would be fun to discuss with other readers.

This ends on a major cliffhanger that left me grasping for the next installment. I was drawn in by the whole story. Part two will be a must read for me.

I enjoyed the design of Krypton in the art. The illustration style is not my preferred style, but it’s well done. And the graphics tie perfectly into the story. DC fans should NOT miss this one!

The folks at DC Entertainment graciously provided a couple sample pages so you can see the artwork in this book:

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read.